grande dame
noun
plural grandes dames
ˈgrän-ˈdäm(z) 
also grande dames
ˈgrän-ˈdäm(z)
also grande dames
ˈgrän-ˈdäm(z)
1
: a usually elderly woman of great prestige or ability
Examples of grande dame in a Sentence
the city's grandes dames still hold considerable sway in its cultural life
Recent Examples on the Web
The difference in size is also evident: MO Mayfair is more of a boutique than a grande dame, but the space here has been used intelligently.
—
Nick Hendry, Robb Report, 10 July 2024
The ornate building on Dubai’s famous Palm Jumeirah has the look of a Baroque grande dame, with 387 rooms, suites, and villas fitted with damask wallpaper, plenty of gold and silver, and custom handcrafted furniture by Italy’s Francesco Molon.
—Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 9 July 2024
In a city where plenty of hotels could stake a claim to be the biggest and boldest, the sheer enormity of the complex—which opened in 2015 as a sleeker, more contemporary alternative to the city’s grande dame hotels—is a sight in and of itself.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 5 July 2024
The Hotel Marysville was considered the grande dame of downtown buildings in the town that is among the state’s oldest.
—Vincent Medina, Sacramento Bee, 16 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for grande dame 
Nick Hendry, Robb Report, 10 July 2024
The ornate building on Dubai’s famous Palm Jumeirah has the look of a Baroque grande dame, with 387 rooms, suites, and villas fitted with damask wallpaper, plenty of gold and silver, and custom handcrafted furniture by Italy’s Francesco Molon.
—Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 9 July 2024
In a city where plenty of hotels could stake a claim to be the biggest and boldest, the sheer enormity of the complex—which opened in 2015 as a sleeker, more contemporary alternative to the city’s grande dame hotels—is a sight in and of itself.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 5 July 2024
The Hotel Marysville was considered the grande dame of downtown buildings in the town that is among the state’s oldest.
—Vincent Medina, Sacramento Bee, 16 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for grande dame
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grande dame.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Grande dame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grande%20dame. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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